


Basic Training

by Shadow_Duck76



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10045253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Duck76/pseuds/Shadow_Duck76
Summary: Prompto prepares physically and emotionally for the best road trip of his life.Gladiolus and Ignis reflect on his progress, the state of Eos, and their past.Noctis might do a thing idkMore chapters coming; I try to do one each day but hey shit happens





	1. Orientation

Gladiolus squinted at the scrawny, trembling blond standing nervously before him.

While he had met Prompto a few times when at Noctis' apartment, he'd never actually gotten to know the kid. Gladio simply dismissed him as a civilian, and while he did seem like a decent person, he never thought he'd personally take the teen on as his personal trainer. 

Gladio sized Prompto up, examining the boy's physique. He was...well, a tiny thing. He was fairly fit, true, but there was hardly any muscle on his body. Gladio loathed to think of what would happen if the kid got in a real fight.

He had his work cut out for him.

Prompto shifted nervously. "I-I'm not exactly used to fighting or...using weapons, or anything like that..b-but I promise to work hard and-"

"Easy there, kid," Gladio chuckled. "We'll toughen you right up in no time. Besides," he leaned in close to Prompto's ear, carefully out of Ignis' hearing, "its just a road trip. What's the worst that can happen?"

Prompto seemed to loosen up a little bit. "Ha.. You're right. But I want you both to know that I am more that willing to give my body to the prince's service, if need be." 

(I'm sure you are, kid) Gladio thought to himself. He resisted the urge to vocalize his jab as Ignis stepped forward.

"We'll be there judges of that," the butler said, a cold calculation in his eyes. "Your basic training begins tomorrow. We depart for Altissia in three months' time. Whether you will be joining us," he pushed up his glasses,

"We will see for ourselves."

Prompto gulped.


	2. Take a Breather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto is a precious cinnamon roll and Gladio and Ignis talk about they feelins

Prompto staggered across the line and collapsed. 

Gladiolus clicked his stopwatch. The time read 24:57. 

It had been a week since Prompto began his training. The kid had powered through workouts for every muscle in his body, and it showed. Gladio had to stifle the urge to laugh when the kid struggled to complete a single pull-up. The blond was weak, he was slow, he got winded easily, and he'd vomited on more than one occasion.

But Prompto's dedication legitimately surprised Gladiolus. 

No matter how many times the kid push his body past its limit, he would dive back into the fray without the slightest hesitation. Gladiolus had expected déjà vu of when Noctis grumbled at the thought of physical exertion, but when he asked Prompto to run five miles as fast as possible, the teen simply nodded, grabbed a quick drink, and headed to the starting line.  It almost made Gladio feel bad for the workout torture he regularly inflicted to his trainees.

Almost.

He stepped over to give Prompto an arm up, but the kid lay panting on the ground for another few minutes. He was glad Ignis wasn't here, or what he was about to do would have amounted to no less than treason.

"Hey, you know if it's too much, you can dial it back a little." Prompto heaved for a moment, registered what the Crownsguard had said, then looked up incredulously. "Don't get me wrong, I admire your commitment, but don't commit so hard you kill yourself."

Prompto stammered "But I want to get stronger. I-i-"

"Yeah I'm gonna make you stronger, that's the whole damn point of training. What I'm saying is that you don't have to suddenly be that strong." Gladio shifted nervously. He was never that good with this heart-to-heart crap. "We leave in three months. It's week one. I'm all for dying in the King's service and whatnot, but save it for when he actually needs it, okay?"

Prompto's face fell. Gladio had intended for the playful jab to be encouraging. "Look, you're a tough kid. I know you'll be fine out in the field. Just...know when enough is enough, ok?" 

Prompto nodded nervously. Gladio wasn't much of a people person, but he could tell that he wasn't exactly soothing his worries. "Look, let's call it a day. Next week we'll try and beat our records from this week, and you'll be on the up-and-up in no time. How's that sound?"

"Y-yeah. I'll, um, do that."

This was not what Gladio had intended at all. (Serves me right for trying to gauge human emotions) he thought to himself. Guess it was time to go back and face the hurricane....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You did WHAT!?"

Gladiolus cringed. In the grand scheme of things, letting Prompto off easy wasn't a big deal. To Gladio, a cheat day here and there wasn't the end of the world.

To Ignis, on the other hand...

"I pray that Regis shows you his mercy when you have to tell him that the prince has died because his compatriots were inadequately prepared to save him." He stormed across the armory. "Tell me, do you think a chink in our security  will just slide?"

Even though he measured a few inches shorter than Gladio (not to mention the latter's imposing physique), Ignis was downright terrifying when he was pissed. Normally, Ignis would act with a cold, deadeyed glare when Noctis was acting up. When the disagreement did not involve royalty, however, things got...heated.

"Need I remind you that we are the King's shield." He was up in Gladio's face now. "If that shield fails, our honor is tainted, not to mention the rest of Lucis!"

"Oh my GAWD Ignis l just let the kid go home early! It's not like I've been smuggling info to the Nifs!" These arguments always pissed Gladio off. He understood that Ignis took his duty seriously - as did Gladio - but he always seemed to get hung up on the tiniest details. 

"Gladio" Ignis turned around and began pacing the floor, clearly trying to keep his voice level. "Niflheim is on the brink of war. When we leave Insomnia, we may well be driving into-"

"A war zone. I get it. And that's why we're training the kid so he can handle his own, but slacking off for one day isn't the difference between life and death!" Gladiolus turned his back this time and tried to calm down a little. It wasn't happening. "Look I understand that you're worried about Noct. Hell, the thought of that br-"

"Gladio"

"brash young man out on his own scares me a little. But the two of us are more than capable of protecting him, and it's not like he's helpless if we're not there."

"This isn't about Noct-"

"Then what is it?" Gladio was practically shouting now. "What bee could possibly be in the great Ignis Scientia's bonnet that -"

"I'm saying he may not have a home to come back to!" 

Gladio stopped. While an outsider could never have noticed, he could see a slight trembling in Ignis' shoulders. He was trying not to cry.

"What I'm saying is," Ignis continued, wiping his glasses with his back turned, "Niflheim could attack at any moment. When we leave, it may be for the last time." He turned to face Gladio. His perpetual stone expression remained, but his eyes had become red. "Is Prompto ready for that? We've spent our whole lives preparing for a time like this. If he doesn't know what he's getting himself into..." he trailed off. Even Gladio could tell there was something else on his mind, but he just couldn't read the butler well enough to tell what. 

"Prompto's a fairly intelligent youth. And he's loyal to a fault." 

Gladio chuckled. "'Loyalty' isn't exactly the word I would apply to the situation."

Ignis rolled his eyes. "I will not comment on the prince's motives for bringing him along, admittedly... dubious as they may seem. The fact of the matter is..." Ignis sat down gingerly on a nearby bench. "I am afraid the boy will become swept up in his zeal and dive headfirst into a situation he isn't prepared for."

"Welp," Gladio said, sitting next to him. "I suppose we'll have to carry their weight, per the norm." Ignis looked up at him incredulously. "I mean," Gladio said, nervously glancing away, "I'm sure the kid won't be deterred. He's got a passion I've rarely seen. Frankly, I think he'll be good for Noctis."

Ignis sighed. "I suppose that is correct. But no more practices cut short."

Gladiolus smirked. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Then the six help us all." Ignis stood up and stretched lightly. A hint of a smile graced his face. "I won't argue with you further."

"Is that all?"  

"I must attend to some other duties," Ignis said, checking his phone. "I will leave this matter in your hands." 

"Goodnight" Gladio stood up and stretched. As Ignis left the armory, Gladio stepped over to a shield mounted on the wall.

"A king's shield..." he said to no one in particular. The thought of Prompto in that position was rather funny. 

Then again, here he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Jesus Christ the first half wore me out just reading it.


	3. The Summoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The magic of the Kings of Lucis takes a strong will and determination to summon. Prompto finds this... difficult.

"Again."

Prompto closed his eyes. He tried to envision himself fading away from the corporeal world, leaving Noctis' soft couch cushions. He occupied his mind with only the training sword Gladio gave him. It was hard plastic, with a leather finish on the hilt. About a meter long. There was a Lucian emblem on the flat of the blade just above the hilt. Double-edged, although you couldn't really hurt anything with it. 

He opened his eyes. Nothing.

Prompto fell back on the couch, putting his hands to his forehead. "Well, I hope the Nifs will agree to let us settle things with a rap battle."

"You'd still lose." Noct said. His phone buzzed. Probably Ignis asking if he'd had his daily intelligence reports or some shit. "I mean, it's not like you can carry a rhythm, let alone a verse."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, your angstyness." 

"I'm sorry I look better in black than anyone else on the planet"

Failing to find an adequate comeback, Prompto sat up. "But seriously, how is a commoner supposed to summon weapons anyway?"

"Well," Noct said, locking his phone and gazing out the penthouse window, "a king's closest attendants can wield some of his power. Tapping into that power takes significant concentration and skill. Either that, or we're not close enough."

"Not close enough my ass. Specs and Gladio don't even know half the dirt I've got on you."

"I've known them since I was a kid."

"Point. Guess we'll have to get a little more..."

"Don't"

"Intimate."

"Now you're just writing bad fanfiction."

"Well you're not wrong."

"Hey." Noctis turned toward Prompto. "I want even able to summon any weapons until I was, like, 15. It's not a big deal."

"I suppose..." Prompto didn't meet Noct's eyes. He looked for an outlet, any way to direct the conversation elsewhere. 

Noct pulled through, of course. "Taken any good pics lately?"

"Oh - yeah!" Prompto grabbed his bag and started rummaging around in his bag. "I got a really good shot of the Citadel this morning. The sun was right- well I'll just show you." The boys flicked through Prompto's daily haul. A few good ones stuck out, but...

"A lot less than usual. How come?"

Prompto winced. He was hoping Noct wouldn't notice. "Well ya know... I've been...busy. Yeah. Having a life. Grabbing each day by the-"

"You're doing extra workouts for Gladio, aren't you."

"Yep."

Noct rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you: it's not a big deal. I'm going to Altissia for a wedding for God's sake. If worse comes to worse, I'm sure the three of us can handle it."

Prompto took a deep breath. "I know that. But..." He forced himself to meet the prince's gaze. "I mean...I should..."

"It's okay." Noct gave him his undivided attention. Prompto couldn't help but blush, even though he hid it as much as possible. He broke eye contact once more.

"Noct... I don't wanna be a burden to you."

"Oh, Prom" Noctis placed his hand on his shoulder. "You're the only friend I've got. You could never be a burden to me."

Prompto put his hand on Noct's. "I know that, but I'm not a guardian. I cant protect you if things get rough. I don't know-"

"You could never be a burden to me. Not now, not ever." Noct pulled Prompto's chin up. "You're the best guy I've ever met."

It was not often that Prompto and Noctis shared moments like this, but when they did, Prompto felt like his heart could soar. The way Noct spoke, treating him like someone important... It filled a gap in Prompto's life that he'd never known he'd had. His parents never bothered with him much, just kept him fed and clean basically. When he was with Noct, though, he was a person. He had value, worth, and someone who would stay by his side, no matter what. He could almost kiss him, and it would have made the moment perfect.

Wait...what the fuck? Dude. Ew. 

Prompto broke gaze once again, muttered an awkward "thanks," and got up to get some cookies from the pantry. Why had things between him and Noct been so...so...WEIRD lately? They'd been best friends since freshman year of high school, it's not like they were just getting to know each other. Now they were getting ready to go on a road trip. As bros. So Noct... could get married. Why was it so hard for Prompto to think about Noct's wedding? He was going to meet Luna, celebrate their union, get a little drunk, what was so bad about that? But every time it came to mind, he hesitated. Like it somehow was getting in the way of something important.

"Hey, Noct, I'm gonna head home."

"Already? It's still light out."

"Yeah... have some work I need to take care of."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Yep."

"Hey," Noct said, crossing the apartment. "You know you can talk to me about stuff that's bothering you, ok? We're here for each other."

"I know. I just... wanna be alone for a while."

"Alright. But I'm only a text away."

"Goodnight, bro." 

"Goodnight. Love ya."

Prompto was riding the elevator down before he processed what Noct just told him. (Wait, WHAT? No, he probably just slipped his tongue. He probably didn't even say anything. I'm going insane. God, maybe I do need to work out a little less.)

No matter how much he rationalized, though, Prompto still felt a warm glow for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, boys that think they're straight are so fun!


	4. A Valiant Effort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of weapons training goes rougher than Prompto expected - and better than he knows.

"So you've got your basic shortswords, daggers, lances... I wouldn't recommend a greatsword for your build, but..."

Prompto wasn't listening. He was busy taking in the ornate weapons scattered around the Crownsguard armory. Every weapon imaginable was stored here: swords, shields, spears, guns, daggers, rods, staves, whips, gun-arms, shurikens, rackets, blitzballs, boomerangs, dolls-

"Oi! Eyes on me." Prompto snapped to attention, having heard basically nothing Gladio had just said. "Just starting with some basic sword training. You're gonna get a little experience with everything so you know how to use it, but we're gonna stick to a few basic groups. You got that weapon summoning down yet?"

"Almost." Prompto closed his eyes, trying to summon the training sword. He managed to conjure a few crystal shards that faded in a few seconds.

"Impressive. I could do that much after a year of training. You're catching on quick."

Prompto bashfully smiled. Even though training could be grueling, Gladio always managed to encourage him. He honestly didn't see why Noct-

"Think fast!"

Prompto barely managed to catch the training sword before it smacked him in the face. It was still a little heavier than he would have liked. He gripped it with both hands, trying to mimic Gladio's stance. 

"Now, today we're going to focus on blocking. I'm going to come at you, you've gotta block it. Easy?"

"Easy!?! You're three times my size!"

"Point being?" Gladio shouted, and lunged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later, Prompto staggered to his feet, taking a much more refined stance than he had at the start of the session. "Ok, I'm ready!"

"Well I'm not," Gladio said, panting. "That's probably enough for today."

Prompto breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the nearest bench. He had been beaten down more times than he could count, usually by the first blow. Once or twice, he managed to hold out long enough for Gladio to try some other strikes. The man was brutal. It was a completely different side of Gladio. The way he fought, throwing his body at the enemy with a total disregard for self...it was terrifying. Prompto was just glad he would never be actually facing him. Still...

"So, don't get me wrong, but I don't think you'd exactly fare well on the front lines." Prompto nodded vigorously. "I'll think about something lighter so you can dive in and out like Ignis. Or maybe...." 

Gladio stopped. Prompto could almost see the lightbulb above his head. He jumped up, paced over to a weapon rack, and dropped a shiny pistol in Prompto's lap. Prompto stared at it for a second, then looked back up at Gladio, who beamed like a proud retriever puppy. 

"Valiant C-36. Standard issue for pilots,  low recoil, 10-shot magazine. Most accurate on the market, up to 100 yards. How good of a shot are you?"

Prompto picked up the pistol. It was just a little heavy. He sighted down the barrel. "I've never used a gun, but it can't be THAT hard, right?" He smiled up at Gladio.  "Yeah, I think this will work."

Gladio puffed up his chest. "Good to hear. I'll take you to the range tomorrow. In the meantime," he took the gun and magically stored it in that weird pocket dimension that all the Crownsguard used, "try summoning that from now own. It'll be a little easier on you."

"Will do." Prompto got up and stretched, then stopped as his body screamed in protest. He was about to leave when Ignis walked in with a tray of granola bars and recovery drinks. In other words, an absolute godsend. 

"I suppose you boys are finished for the v day?"

"Yep," Gladio grinned, picking up a glass of blue liquid and downing it in a single gulp. "Good day. Kid's making great progress with summoning his weapon.

"Excellent to hear." Ignis turned to Prompto. While he still wore the same deadpan expression, Prompto got a sense of satisfaction from it this time. "Gladio used to throw tantrums every time he couldn't get it right."

"Wha- not true!" Gladio turned a sudden shade of red in exasperation. "I just got a little frustrated, that's all. Besides, a greatsword's a little harder to pull out of thin air than a dagger!"

"At least I handled my shortcomings with  dignified grace, rather than kicking over a rack of shields."

Prompto couldn't believe guys ears. He'd never heard Ignis so much as crack a joke, and here he was roasting the most intimidating Crownsguard. 

"H-hey I just couldn't see where I was going!"

"Then perhaps you should invest in a pair of glasses if your eyesight troubles you."

"Then I'd look like a-"

"You do not want to finish that sentence."

Prompto couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing, recovery drink spurting out his nose. The two Crownsguard watched helplessly as the blond all but suffocated himself from laughter. 

"I suppose I shall leave you to it, then," Ignis said, making for the door.

"Oh no you don't" Gladio growled, emboldened by Prompto's incapacity. "You're going to make up for publicly embarrassing me."

"Gladio, it's a royal armory, no one-"

"Prompto's a civilian! Therefore, it's public."

"...I hate it when you're logical."

Prompto got up, still giggling. " So wh-whats it gonna be? No nagging for a week? One free cake in the shape of Gladio's di-"

Both Crownsguard were giving Prompto the death stare now.

"R-right. I'll just, uh...yeah. Good practice."  
He headed for the door, turned around, grabbed a granola bar for the road, and was gone.

"Well, that was rather insubordinate." Ignis sighed.

"One night."

"I'm sorry?" Ignis looked back at Gladio, clearly confused. Gladio looked down at the floor bashfully.

"I want to spend one night with you. I mean, we could like, catch a movie, or get dinner, drinks, whatever."

"So... you are asking me on a date?"

"Well-i mean- it could be for, like. Team building purposes. Coworkers. Yeah."

Ignis sighed, turning to the door. "Fine. Monday. I'll text you the particulars."

"Really?" Gladiolus looked up, surprised. 

"Unless you had something in particular in mind?"

"Um, I don't know. I honestly didn't think I'd get this far."

For the first time Gladio could recall, Ignis broadly smiled. "And that's why you were never a good tactician."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *memeing intensifies*  
> And yes, I did just publicly roast every jrpg ever. Not my fault a friggin megaphone passes for a weapon.


	5. A Verdant Interlude

Luna was worried. Either Pryna had somehow gotten lost (unlikely, but still possible), or Prompto wasn't replying. It has been nearly a month and a half since she'd received the last message from Prompto, detailing his acceptance into Noct's entourage. Since her reply - I'm so proud of you, I wish you well in your endeavors, don't strain yourself too much, etc. etc. - he hadn't written a peep. 

Luna sighed. She longingly gazed out her balcony window into the Tenebraean mountains. The wildflowers began to bloom this time of year. It was always refreshing to watch the little splotches of color here and there coalesce into a veritable rainbow ocean. She gazed down into her garden, considering going for a stroll to ease her mind. This dream was put to rest, however, when she saw Ravus pacing about on the patio. 

Luna left the balcony in disgust, content to pace about her own room without ruining the springtime bliss of others. Things between her and Ravus had been... strained as of late. Ever since Niflheim's aggression towards Lucis had begun, she'd sensed a sudden shift come over him. As if he almost wanted the crystal to fall, and the world to be subject to the empire's whims. Rumors were one thing, of course, but every day she became more certain that he had fallen into that damn Chancellor's pocket. 

She stopped pacing, her eyes falling on the design for her wedding gown. Two and a half months. That was the day it's radiant beauty would be unveiled to the public. The day she would finally see Noctis again...and meet Prompto in person for the first time. 

Again her thoughts turned to the Crownsguard-in-training. She was not worried that some ill fate had befallen Prompto. Noctis mentioned him regularly in his letters to her. Noct's letters were always short and sweet. While his writing style displayed no boredom of lack of affection, it was just...concise. As if he was courteous and respectful but didn't feel the need to be verbose. 

Luna opened the scrapbook she kept of all Prompto's letters. These were FAR less formal. Prompto would write about anything under the sun. His letters usually filled every blank space on the paper, forcing her not to tape them in the book and lose the backside's contents. It was not as though he engaged in long soliloquies either; half the letters were just ramblings interspersed with little drawings and emoticons. Luna supposed the shrug face emoji was much easier to type in text than to draw, but then again, she didn't use cellular devices often.

She paged through her book again to the most recent entry. There were much fewer drawings on this one, and the words were spaced out much more than usual. There was a hint of... discomfort, no... boredom? No, no... SOMETHING off about it, but she couldn't quite place-

The thought hit Luna like a thundaga to the chest. She leapt up and was about to snatch the book of Noct's letters when Umbra came trotting up the stairs, proudly carrying his correspondence from the Lucian Prince.

Luna took the notebook from his back, scratched his ear, and eagerly opened Noct's letter to read:

"My Dearest, Lunafreya,

"Our preparations for the journey to Altissia are well underway. Iggy and Gladio say Prompto's training is coming along nicely, and he'll be thoroughly prepared by our departure. Like you, I do worry that he pushes himself too hard. Lately, we've barely had time to hang out normally. I asked him several times to lay off a bit, but he refuses. I've never seen him as passionate about anything, not even photography. 

"I am eager to finally see your face again. I know after all these years, it will have been worth it. 

"Eternally yours,  
"Noctis Lucis Caelum"

Luna folded the letter and held it close to her chest. It was the final piece of damning evidence. Only when a light breeze came through the window did she discover that she was weeping. 

"May he bring you peace, Noctis."

There was nothing like Tenebrae in the spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, I've been sick this weekend and haven't felt like doing anything. 
> 
> Your regularly scheduled homosexual programming will return shortly.


	6. Loveless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis decided that his and Prompto's relationship neede to go one step further. And by one step, I mean one giant leap for mankind.

"Sooo you gonna tell me where we're going?"

"You'll see," Noct said knowingly. The insidious smile he wore did little to assuage Prompto's apprehension. 

The pair waited in the parking lot of Noct's apartment complex, who was nervously checking his phone. He had called Prompto up without warning, told him to meet at his place in an hour, and abruptly hung up without any explanation. Prompto had absolutely no idea what he was up to, but Noct seemed evilly excited and ever so slightly nervous.

"Man, it's not like Iggy to be so late," Prompto sighed, leaning onto the stone lawn décor that covered the grassy areas of the complex.

"That's the thing," Noct said. "He isn't."

Before Prompto could ask what he meant, a black sedan - (not the regalia,) Prompto noted - pulled into the lot. It rolled up to the boys, the window rolled down, and -

"Get in losers, we're going shopping!" Gladio grinned mischievously, beckoning the boys into the back seat. 

"Where have you been?" Noct complained, sliding into the seat. "You're ten minutes late."

"Hey, not usually my job to be the chauffeur to royalty. Dost thou require an extra diaper, or have you matured to the level of a fully-grown bitch?"

"You know I could convict you off treason right now."

"Yeah. You fuckin won't tho."

"Fair." Noct defeatedly slouched into his seat. "Start driving."

Prompto had never driven with Gladio before. Unlike Ignis, he actually talked to his passengers without using exorbitant amounts of sass.

Prompto inquired whether they were actually going shopping. Gladio insisted that he only said that for the meme credit.

Noct scoffed. "Of course you have to have the 'meme' credit. Or 'cred' I should say. Gotta be hip with the youngun's."

"Ah, but Noctis," Prompto said, adopting a poor parody of Regis' voice. "Becoming close and understanding with one's subjects is the mark of a great king."

"Listen to him, Noct. Go on a spiritual journey to the lowest parts of Insomnia to gain a true understanding of your people."

"No, thanks. I already did four years of high school." 

The entire car roared with laughter. While Prompto never actually found out where they were going, he did come to understand one thing: Ignis was not here because Ignis was NEVER going to find out about what happened tonight under penalty of death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have arrived," Gladio said, poorly imitating Ignis' accent. They had pulled up in front of a neon sign that said "Loveless." Noct and Prompto climbed out of the car. They could both hear the throbbing bass from outside. 

"Not coming?" Prompto asked, turning back to Gladiolus.

"Someone's got to be sober enough to get you two home, or Iggy's gonna have my ass."

Prompto shrugged. Fair enough. He gave an awkward wave as Gladio drove off and turned to face the club. 

"Soooo...you do know we kinda...just graduated, right?"

"It's cool," Noct said coolly, as a gust of cool night air came to cool the pair off. "I'm kinda the prince and all."

"Oh..right." Prompto often had trouble grasping just how useful Noct's position was. He started to head in when Noctis stopped him, grabbing his hand. 

"Let me rephrase, I'M kinda the prince and all." 

"I'm sorry you don't believe my natural charm is enough for the both of us."

Noct grinned. Prompto loved it when he grinned like that. They both headed to the door, had an awkward I.D. conflagration with the doorman, and stepped inside. 

Unsurprisingly, Prompto had never been in a club before. Fake I.D.s weren't exactly easy to come by in Insomnia, and having no friends makes going out a terrible option. 

All his apprehension, however, didn't make him miss the fact that Noct still seemed awkwardly nervous. 

"You okay, dude?" Prompto asked. Because directly confronting Noctis always worked and never resulted in him edgily deflecting the question.

"Um-yeah. No problem."

Huh. 

After approximately 20 minutes, Prompto finally noticed that there was something...off about this place. While he wasn't exactly a connoisseur of Insomnian nightlife, the way the patrons were acting was more than a little unusual. It seemed like the guys actually wanted to dance more than the girls, and the girls were buying each other drinks. Not to mention the fact that he'd had his ass slapped by three separate guys.

...

........

"Wait a second, is this a gay bar?"

Noct flinched. "Oh. I suppose it is."

"What an awkward occurrence."

"I suppose so."

The music had switched to a slower, more emotional song about calling your ex after being alone for years. Drunk patrons began finding the cute partner they had been pursuing all night, or simply crying into their glasses while typing messages they were going to regret come tomorrow. 

Prompto suddenly had an idea. Probably a terrible idea, but he wasn't about to let Noct be more socially inept than himself.

"Sooo... you wanna dance?"

Noct choked on his drink. "Wha- I mean- if you-"

Prompto smirked. He had conquered the kingdom. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, grabbing Noct's hand and making for the dance floor before the prince could protest. The two awkwardly positioned themselves, then began rocking back and forth. 

Noctis glanced around the room, trying to see if anyone he knew would recognize him. Remembering that literally everyone knew his face, he gave up and looked down into Prompto's eyes. Honestly, he was a little absolutely terrified. He'd been friends with Prompto for so long, but...he wanted more. 

Meanwhile, Prompto had no words to describe how he felt at that moment. He felt like right now had been a long time coming; as if his entire relationship with Noctis was leading up to this moment. He had no more apprehension about how he felt, because it just felt...right. 

So he didn't stop himself from putting his head on Noct's chest. And Noct didn't protest either. He didn't stop it when Noct leaned in for a kiss. Because it just felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy this on's been a long time coming. Sorry about the wait, this week slapped me in the face. 
> 
> I'll be uploading once a week probably from now on. Sorry, but life's been hectic.

**Author's Note:**

> ayy I did a thing  
> So this is my first fic, so if you have any suggestions/typos/tagging stuff please let me know!  
> Will be adding more chapters laterish  
> Probably soon  
> Yes there will be fluff
> 
> Edit-thanks so much everyone for all the support! I know I'm not really experienced at writing crap, but y'all are so nice. Love ya.


End file.
